Mood-congruent recollection and anosognosia in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate experimentally the impact of current mood state on anosognosia or awareness of symptoms in AD patients, in which mood state was manipulated by giving tasks that were either easy (success condition) or very difficult (failure condition). Twenty-two patients with mild to moderate AD participated. Four success-failure manipulation (SFM) computerized tasks were used as mood induction procedures, two based on reaction time tasks and the other on memory tasks. Level of awareness and the current mood state were assessed before and after each task, using a modified version of the Anosognosia Questionnaire for Dementia and a self-reported questionnaire respectively. For both types of task, the results indicate that the emotional state of the participants was similar before performing the tasks and that only the failure conditions induced a negative mood state. Additionally, regarding the level of awareness, there were no significant differences after the reaction time tasks but for the memory tasks, there was greater awareness of symptoms after performing the task in the failure condition. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first exploring experimentally the impact of mood on anosognosia in AD. The results showed an improvement of awareness of symptoms after negative mood induction, but only when the task used in the SFM was memory-based.

Cross domain self-monitoring in anosognosia for memory loss in Alzheimer's disease

“…Lastly, in regards to mood, our results showed different relations between depression and our three measures of self-evaluation. Specifically, we found that endorsing higher levels of depression was associated with being globally more aware of one’s memory deficits, consistent with a number of previous studies (Bertrand et al, 2016; Cines et al, 2015; Conde-Sala et al, 2014), but not with memory monitoring. These findings support a previously shown dissociation of the correlates found between these measures of self-evaluation.…”

“…The purpose of this study is to clarify the association between different domains and levels of awareness in AD by examining the relationship between anosognosia for memory loss, memory monitoring and agency. For this purpose, we ran regression models examining the associations among these three self-evaluative measures including covariates such as memory, executive functions and mood (Ansell & Bucks, 2006; Bertrand et al, 2016; Cines et al, 2015; Clare et al, 2012; Conde-Sala et al, 2014; Cosentino, Metcalfe, Holmes, et al, 2011; Mograbi & Morris, 2013; Perrotin, Isingrini, Souchay, Clarys, & Taconnat, 2006; Reed et al, 1993). In doing so, this study will refine and build upon current models of self-awareness with the goal of improving their ultimate utility for guiding the management of anosognosia in AD.…”

Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms Impact Clinical Competence in Alzheimer’s Disease

“…This result is in line with the literature highlighting that depressed people may have preserved decision-making capacities (Appelbaum and Grisso, 1995; for review see Hindmarch et al, 2013) and awareness of condition (Mograbi and Morris, 2014; Bertrand et al, 2016). An explanation can be found in the depressive realism theory, which argues that depression contributes to a more realistic judgment, as opposed to the normal positive or optimistic biases that are associated with an euthymic mood state (Dobson and Franche, 1989; Taylor, 1989).…”

Involvement of the Cingulate Cortex in Anosognosia: A Multimodal Neuroimaging Study in Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

“…However, the altered region found in our study is the posterior vermis of the cerebellum, which is primarily involved in emotional processes [ 59, 60 ]. In a recent study, Bertrand et al [ 60 ] reported that induction of a negative mood state after a failed memory task induced an augmentation of the awareness level. We can also postulate that during task performance, the presence of apathy or an altered emotional process in these patients can alter the detection of a difference between the actual self-information collected (e.g., the failure of the task) and the old information about oneself, leading to a lack of selection of this new information.…”